ThePortForum.com

Appropriate links to be added later.

It was a great pleasure to have Oscar at a port tasting. Hopefully it has gone a little way to repaying the fantastic hospitality that Oscar has extended to those of us who have had the opportunity to visit his winery in the Douro.

It was an interesting experience to taste so many Colheitas together. This was a first for me and, I have to say, not something I would look to repeat any time soon. There were some very interesting wines but I think the night confirmed that I am very much a Vintage Port fan.

Wine of the night for me was the Niepoort 1968, bottled in 1983. Second was the Niepoort 1994, bottled in 2004 and third was the 1975 Quevedo, bottled yesterday.

Sorry to have missed this, it would have been great to meet Oscar, and I have nothing against the orange stuff. However, I'm in a slightly different hemisphere and the commute would have been too long.

KillerB wrote:Sorry to have missed this, it would have been great to meet Oscar, and I have nothing against the orange stuff. However, I'm in a slightly different hemisphere and the commute would have been too long.

When you say slightly different hemisphere, do you mean Cornwall?

DRT wrote:A

It was an interesting experience to taste so many Colheitas together. This was a first for me and, I have to say, not something I would look to repeat any time soon. There were some very interesting wines but I think the night confirmed that I am very much a Vintage Port fan.

Wine of the night for me was the Niepoort 1968, bottled in 1983. Second was the Niepoort 1994, bottled in 2004 and third was the 1975 Quevedo, bottled yesterday.

What kind of Port drinker doesn't like Colheita's? Oh yeah, you live on that side of the pond

The 1994 Niepoort is a very good colheita. I've got some in storage, I'll have to make you drink some next time I see you,.

Andy V wrote:

DRT wrote:A

It was an interesting experience to taste so many Colheitas together. This was a first for me and, I have to say, not something I would look to repeat any time soon. There were some very interesting wines but I think the night confirmed that I am very much a Vintage Port fan.

Wine of the night for me was the Niepoort 1968, bottled in 1983. Second was the Niepoort 1994, bottled in 2004 and third was the 1975 Quevedo, bottled yesterday.

What kind of Port drinker doesn't like Colheita's? Oh yeah, you live on that side of the pond

I suppose what I really mean is that I don't understand it. I can drink it and enjoy it, but I struggle to appreciate it.

DRT wrote:

KillerB wrote:Sorry to have missed this, it would have been great to meet Oscar, and I have nothing against the orange stuff. However, I'm in a slightly different hemisphere and the commute would have been too long.

When you say slightly different hemisphere, do you mean Cornwall?

Nope, does begin with 'C' though, but ends in 'anberra'

DRT wrote:

Andy V wrote:

DRT wrote:A

It was an interesting experience to taste so many Colheitas together. This was a first for me and, I have to say, not something I would look to repeat any time soon. There were some very interesting wines but I think the night confirmed that I am very much a Vintage Port fan.

Wine of the night for me was the Niepoort 1968, bottled in 1983. Second was the Niepoort 1994, bottled in 2004 and third was the 1975 Quevedo, bottled yesterday.

What kind of Port drinker doesn't like Colheita's? Oh yeah, you live on that side of the pond

I suppose what I really mean is that I don't understand it. I can drink it and enjoy it, but I struggle to appreciate it.

You just need to drink more then

Andy V wrote:

DRT wrote:

Andy V wrote:

DRT wrote:A

It was an interesting experience to taste so many Colheitas together. This was a first for me and, I have to say, not something I would look to repeat any time soon. There were some very interesting wines but I think the night confirmed that I am very much a Vintage Port fan.

Wine of the night for me was the Niepoort 1968, bottled in 1983. Second was the Niepoort 1994, bottled in 2004 and third was the 1975 Quevedo, bottled yesterday.

What kind of Port drinker doesn't like Colheita's? Oh yeah, you live on that side of the pond

I suppose what I really mean is that I don't understand it. I can drink it and enjoy it, but I struggle to appreciate it.

You just need to drink more then

I'll drink to that! (Mine's a 40-year old. Dunno what Andy's drinking. )

In the same way that I had to learn to appreciate rubies, I think it's perfectly normal for a Brit to have to learn to appreciate tawnies. Practically all you guys have over there are Ruby Ports, so of course that's all you drink.

Oscar: sorry to have missed you. Stuck in foreign parts.

Another fun and educational evening, and a real treat to meet Oscar.

As for the wines, I share Derek's feelings -- no rush to buy/taste any more, especially considering how close in price many of them are to quality bottles of VP. But, like they say, you never know until you try (unless of course you study philosophy, at which point they just leave it to 'you never know').

It was a great pleasure to meet Oscar and his friends, as well as ChrisD. I'm also grateful to Oscar for bringing over some really interesting wines for us to try.

I agree with Derek's choice of top three wines, although I might put them in the reverse order: the Quevedo 1975 was easily the most interesting and exiting to drink, followed by the Niepoort 1994 (which was, incidentally, bottled in 2006 not 2004) and then the Niepoort 1968.

It was fun to drink through some of these tawnies in one tasting, even though I spent most of the evening feeling massively out of my depth. The big problem which I had was a struggle to tell the age of these wines, especially as they have two variables (harvest date and bottling date) and seem to mature at quite different rates.

It wasn't an experience which completely converted me to drinking tawnies, but I have no objection to them and will probably try to continue to have one or two bottles of Niepoort available for when the mood takes me.

It was a REALLY nice experience to meet you all at the Crusting Pipe. I must confess that the final result/ video is quite disturbing. I could realize that my mission was not accomplished. I was not successful in bringing you to the consumption of Colheitas (Glenn please don't give up) and it was not because of these Colheitas we had at the tasting. There were some lovely wines. In any case I enjoyed the wines and your presence. Something to repeat, maybe with other theme

I might have to shave and wear a suit if you are recording us when you swing by New York =).

or maybe I'll get a plaid shirt in honor of Alex